First Days At Sea and Impressions of the Royal Princess

At-Sea Days - What Do We Do?
We're in the midst of of several at-sea days. These days are the most relaxful to us. I typically start my day with a morning coffee and a croissant while my better half sleeps in. One of the benefits of our mini-suite is that the sitting area (sofa, desk and TV) of the cabin can be closed off by a mid-cabin drape. Thus, one can move around half of the cabin and open the balcony drapes without disturbing a sleeping partner. I believe Princess has placed these mid-cabin mini-suite drapes only in its newer ships.

The quiet mornings are best for me to enjoy a few moments where the crowds are fewer in the public areas. I use this time to update my blog, read the NY Times on my tablet and send a few emails.

After a leisurely breakfast, we have a mid-morning visit to the gym. My exercise routine runs about an hour and includes cardio time split on an eliptical or tread mill and a bike. I might use a few of the weight machines if I go over an hour. By the time we finish our gym time and showers, its about lunch time.

After lunch is our biggest chunk of free time. Reading, shop browsing, napping or watching a lecture, movie or show are all possibilities. We do try to avoid the many tempting snacks offered throughout the afternoon. Our dinner seating time is 5:30, so we generally head back to our cabin by 5pm.We might take in a theater show, watch a movie or read in the evening.

That pretty much sums up our day while not in a port.

First Impressions of the Royal Princess

Most of our cruises (13) on Princess has been on ships that have been in service for five to ten years. The Royal Princess is only two years old and the differences in updated style and upkeep has been noteworthy. What have we noticed?

• Gone are the teak deck loungers and in their place are more modern appearing outdoor seating and lounges.
• Cabin furnishings and carpet have little noticeable wear.
• No blue plastic mats on the balconies (not particularly missed).
• Less deep balconies for many cabins (though we're in a bump-out section with a larger mini-suite balcony).
• Updated cabin bathrooms - larger and more modern (no turquoise) faux tiles and a larger sink (good for hand washing).
• More on-demand television offerings - but perhaps this is being rolled out fleetwide by Princess.
• Despite 3,500 passengers, there's enough public areas that we don't notice large crowds - except maybe at the gym on the morning of the first at-sea day.
• A greater number of tables for two in the main dining rooms.
• Great stability - one cruise staff member indicated the Royal has four stabilizers which permit the ship to better handle both high swells and wind.
• The Royal's Wheelhouse Bar is smaller and less intimate than on the older ships. On the other Princess ships, we tended to seek cozy reading locataions in the Wheelhouse Bar.